Pay Day
by MyOyakodon
Summary: A week before their departure for Altissia, Noctis learns just how much money his friends are paid for their Crownsguard duties. [Written for the prompt: An overheard conversation causes Noctis to think his companions are only with him out of royal obligation.]
1. Chapter 1

**Revised version as of March 2, 2019, with a newly added epilogue**

I revised this fic to give more depth and nuance to the four bros and balance out the pacing of the climax and ending. Most revisions can be found in the latter half of chapter 2, but I overhauled the style and language of the entire fic, added some details here and there, and cut long-winded parts. Nothing of major importance has changed, however, so if you liked this fic as it was and don't feel the particular need to re-read it, feel free to jump straight to the newly added epilogue! (I would suggest to re-read at least the last scene of chapter 2, though, but it's up to you, of course!)

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Why had Noctis ever thought it was a good idea to take a nap in the Citadel gardens?

One moment he'd enjoyed the peace and quiet of the greenery around him, and the next moment…

"…and then I _heard_ them. Right behind the door of the conference room—can you believe it? Who in their right mind would ever make out in such a place?"

"Sweet Shiva. Of all places!"

Yes, one moment he'd been content and relaxed, close to nodding off, the next moment two women intruded into his private little space. Not that they could see him where he was lying down on the grass behind a column of big bushes: his secret spot. They'd made themselves comfortable not far from himself—probably for a lunch break—and immediately started gossiping.

"Gross, isn't it?!" the first women shrieked. He'd dubbed her 'Shrieky' after a while of listening in, as this actually seemed to be her normal tone. The shrill pitch of her voice was a hundred times worse than Prompto's when he'd rave about cute girls. Or chocobos.

"And you're certain it was Amelia? It _could_ 've been someone else," the second woman said. Noctis didn't need to come up with a name for her. He knew her voice. She was Medea A-something—Ar…Arus? Right, Medea Arus. A senior accountant at the Citadel who'd been in charge of his finances for years. She was a gentle and kind soul, and had once before saved him from facing his dad's wrath by taking care of matters discreetly when he'd managed to lose his debit card.

Even someone like her could feel the need to gossip sometimes, he guessed.

"No, I'm _absolutely_ certain! The way Amelia looked after she came in ten minutes after…yuck! So obvious!" Shrieky's conviction didn't leave any room for doubt.

"What a foolish girl. And with a Kingsglaive at that. It could cost her job. Or more," Medea said in an all-knowing tone.

"And even worse, do you know just _who_ the glaive guy actually was—"

The two women blabbered on, and Noctis tried with all his power to tune out their voices. He wished he could just stand up and leave, but then they'd become aware that they'd been gossiping in the presence of the Crown Prince. To spare them _and_ him of this embarrassment, he needed to stay hidden in his little secret spot and hope they'd leave soon.

He sighed. And the day had started on such a positive note.

Today had been one of those rare occasions. He _hadn't_ overslept, _hadn't_ ended up playing King's Knight and forgetting the time over it, and _hadn't_ experienced his usual bout of mid-morning lethargy. No, instead, he'd been productive even, going as far as starting to pack up his boxes for the move out of his apartment. Their departure for Altissia was less than a week away, and Ignis had reminded him more than once not to put off packing for too long. So Noctis had spent a couple of hours packing in solitude until he ran out of boxes and motivation.

This was how he'd found himself more than half an hour early at the Citadel for his daily training session with his friends. Obviously, no one had been at the training hall yet, so he'd opted for a nap at his favorite spot in the gardens. After all, opportunities to relax like this would soon vanish from his life altogether. He would leave for Altissia, marry Luna, and then... that he didn't know yet, but he knew there was a busy time ahead of him, though it would be a time of peace—peace for Lucis.

Realizing just how precious this peaceful moment in the gardens was, Noctis had savored every second of it. Well, _until_ these two ladies happened.

 _And what are you gossiping about now?_ he wondered, and turned his attention back to the women. Not that it was difficult to make out what they said, with how loud they were. They didn't seem to mind that they were gossiping right inside the Citadel, even if the gardens were a pretty secluded corner.

"Have you taken care of this month's salary transactions for the Crownsguard already?" Oh no. Were they talking about _finances_ of all things now? It couldn't get any more boring. Maybe the gossip had been the lesser of the two evils.

"Yes, yesterday, actually! They should be fully transferred by now," Shrieky answered Medea. Then she lowered her voice and added, "But good heavens, this got me by surprise. Did you know that the Prince's Crownsguard got a hefty pay raise this month?"

Huh?

"Yes, the marshal mentioned something along these lines the other day. It has to do with the trip to Altissia. These poor young men need to protect and humor him around the clock. It's only right to raise the salary. So…" Medea's voice raised in curiosity. "How much is it?"

Noctis's heart made a strange flip. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear any of this.

"You won't believe it. Ten. Thousand. Freaking. Insomnian. Cronas!" The voice of Shrieky took on the shrillest squeak he'd heard from her until now. He would've cringed at that tone if his mind hadn't been so busy with processing this information. Why was this the first time he was hearing of this? "They'll be swimming in money in no time!" Shrieky continued raving. "I could buy one of these penthouses in Central District if I earned that much! I'm so envious."

Okay, so his friends got a pay raise and he didn't know about it. _Whatever_. What difference would it make knowing or not knowing, anyway? Much more importantly, he really needed to leave soon, or he'd end up late for the training session.

"Oh, I'll be damned." Medea sounded awestruck by what she heard. "And it's not like their salary was anything to be ashamed of before. But psst," Medea's voice softened to a whisper, making it hard for Noctis to understand her words. "This is how they make sure you stay loyal and pliant. Whoever thinks loyalty comes from the heart is even more foolish than our dearest Amelia."

An ugly emotion rose up in Noctis. Why was she talking like this?

"Well, _I_ 'd give them my loyalty for such an amount, too!" Shrieky said. "What do they even do during their working hours? Seems like an easy job to me."

"Ha. You're mistaken there. I tell you, when it comes to the Prince, such an amount is necessary. I heard the Scientia boy cooks and cleans for him. He even washes his dirty laundry—like a maid! I'd need all the money in the world to steep that low!"

Noctis would be lying if he claimed it didn't hurt to hear this from who he'd always believed to be a kind woman. But neither was he surprised. He was used to people talking trash about him behind his back. Most people only talked nicely to him because they had to. And that was fine; they could spread rumors about him all they wanted. But how dare they talk like this about Ignis? Ignis _had_ been cleaning up after Noctis and helping him through a rough time a few years ago, though not because he was his Chamberlain or _maid_ , but because he was his friend. It wasn't fair for people to judge Ignis—judge _them_ —when they didn't know anything at all.

"But they are close, aren't they?" asked Shrieky, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You should know. You know them for much longer than I do."

"If you mean that the Scientia boy has been working for the Crown since he was a kid, yes, but did he have much choice in the matter? I doubt it," Medea said. "If you ask for my opinion, _who_ could be friends with someone they have to clean up after?"

"Oh, _I_ couldn't."

"Right."

This was stupid. He shouldn't listen to this. They didn't know anything.

But he couldn't stop listening.

"And then there's the young Amicitia. I heard he doesn't have much respect for the Crown Prince. But if he makes that much money, I guess it doesn't matter. Did you see that new shiny car of his?"

"Right. The Amicitias talk about honor and duty all day, but when it comes down to it, they are as much after the money as any other regular Crown Citizen."

Yes, this was plain stupid. What did they know about Ignis and Gladio? _You know nothing_ , he wanted to scream. _Shut up_.

He tried not to let it get to him, but the mention of his friends hit home too close. There weren't many good things in his life, but his friends were one of the best things he had. People doubting their friendship made his blood boil in ice-cold anger.

"And that boy. Y'know, the new kid. Still so young."

"He's a smart boy. He knows how to get what he wants."

"Right! I'd volunteer myself to be friends with the Prince, too, and secure myself a bright future if I were him. He's so lucky to get a job like this offered to him!"

"If he doesn't die in his service."

They laughed.

 _Shut up. Shut the fuck up_ , was what he wanted to scream at them so bad. But he knew this wasn't worth it. This was how people talked behind his back. He should ignore it and move on. _Don't listen. It's stupid. Don't fucking listen._

He gritted his teeth and waited for the conversation to be over.

* * *

Prompto burst through the door of the training hall.

"Sorry, 'm late," he gasped out between short breaths. "Couldn't…get off…earlier. My stupid...boss didn't let me go..." He felt like _dying_. His lungs were burning from the exertion of running all the way to the Citadel. Even a strong runner like him had his limits.

He let himself plop down on the floormats and took in big gulps of air.

"Heh, someone looks like he came runnin' all the way from the Rock of Ravatogh," came Gladio's voice from above him.

Prompto sat up, straightening his posture a bit, and looked up at the others. He was about to retort to Gladio's teasing when he noticed the absence of someone—his best friend. "Huh? Noct's not here yet?"

Ignis nodded. "Indeed. You're not the last one to arrive today." A small grin tugged on his lips. "For a change."

Prompto couldn't hold back his excitement at hearing this. "Woohoo! I'm not last!" He _hated_ that it was always him to be late because it damn well wasn't his fault that his boss was so shitty. But for once, it seemed he didn't end up being the guy who had messed up something. This time, Noct would be the one. _Feel my pain, buddy_.

Was he being petty? Maybe a teeny tiny bit.

"No reason to sound so pleased with yourself. You're still late as hell," Gladio said.

"And let's not forget that you're the one who's most in need of these training units," Ignis added.

Riiight. Prompto gave an inward sigh. How could he forget? The four of them met on a daily basis now to prepare for whatever would expect them on the other side of the Wall. Prompto had only joined Noct's Crownsguard a couple of months ago, and he still felt as green as he'd ever been. Even worse, after this session was done, he had another one scheduled with _Cor the Immortal_ of all people. This was his routine five times a week for these past months.

All this considered, Ignis was right. He was the new guy here and needed the training so he wouldn't screw up on a real battlefield. He'd screw up anyway. Prompto was sure of it.

"Oookay. I got it, guys." Prompto tried not to let his self-doubts show through. It was definitely time to change the subject. "So, you think Noct fell asleep somewhere or what?"

"Guess so," Gladio said. "Sleeping Beauty might need a while to make his way here, so let's get started without him."

Half an hour and buckets of sweat later, and still no sign of Noct. Prompto was dying of thirst and, gods, were his arms killing him. Since Noct wasn't there, everyone's focus was on _him_. 'Lousy defense' here, 'weak footwork' there—he heard all of it in merely thirty minutes. These two no doubt were out to kill him before the journey even started. It was torture and he started to feel slightly pissed off with his buddy for leaving him at the mercy of these two.

He wasn't the only one who noticed the passing of time and the continued absence of Noct, though. Gladio and Ignis were throwing more and more glances toward the clock at the wall.

Finally, Gladio snapped and said in a sarcastic tone, "Seems like His Highness won't grace us with his presence today."

Ignis sighed. "This is unusual. It's rare for him to be late these days. And I haven't been informed of any other obligations, either."

Seeing this as his opportunity, Prompto said, "How 'bout we try calling him and…" He looked up at them with the best puppy-eyes he could muster. "And take a lil' break, maybe?"

"Wuss. We've only just gotten started."

"Oh c'mon, big guy! I'm dyin' here!" He was just so damn exhausted.

Ignis was his saving grace. "Very well. Five minutes, but no more. I'll attempt to call Noct in the meantime."

"Woo, yes! At least one of you two has a _heart_ ," Prompto said, shooting a fake glare to Gladio.

He jogged over to his bag and pulled out his water bottle, chugging the water down in a few big swallows. He felt like a man in the desert dying of thirst, but now he'd found his oasis.

"Not answering?" he heard Gladio ask Ignis.

"Yes. I do wonder what could be the matter…"

"Damn this royal brat. Tryin' to skip on us or what?"

Prompto also checked his phone and sent Noct a quick message. _"Please come save me asap buddy! Gladio and Ignis are drilling me to death here! =T"_

Then he saw that he had a new mail. From the Citadel administration office. Payment notice? Huh.

He opened it, then almost dropped his phone.

"Oh em gee." A mixture of excitement and disbelief built up in him. " _Guys_! Did you know? Ten thousand bucks? This has gotta be a mistake, right? That's _not_ how much I've gotten last month!"

Ignis gave him an incredulous look. "I'm surprised you've only heard of this now. You ought to have signed the new contract if you've received the amount."

Gladio let out a laugh. "Iggy's right. I was there, kid, right next to you when you signed it."

Oh. He did sign something the other day. But with all these data privacy statements he was asked to sign these days, he might have only skimmed over it. He didn't understand any of what was written on these forms, anyway, but knew the gist of it: keep your eyes peeled, and most importantly, _mouth closed_.

"Now that you say it." He felt a nervous laugh bubbling out of him. And then the excitement came full-blown. "But ten thousand cronas? This is insane! I mean—why such a huge amount?!"

He couldn't believe it. Ten thousand fucking cronas. And not just a one-time payment, but monthly from now on. He'd freaked out about his first salary, but this was more than double the amount and way too much for a normal guy like him to deal with.

"It's only natural. The pay rise was determined in relation to our upcoming duties outside of the Crown City," said Ignis.

"Yeah, gotta babysit His Highness full-time now, so we got to get somethin' in return, right? We've got a tough job ahead of us," Gladio said, then added as an afterthought, "And it seems like he wants to prove my point right now." He glared at the clock, throwing mental daggers at it.

Damn, that guy was creepy when he was annoyed.

But Prompto was still way too occupied with processing the new information. He kept glancing back at his phone screen, somehow expecting the mail to disappear from his inbox at any moment. "I can't believe it. I mean—all these things I could buy now!" He could buy _anything_ now! He never once believed something like this could happen to him. "What will I do with all this money?!"

"You see how he's freaking out, Iggy?"

"Prompto's still new to all of this. And it is quite an astonishing amount."

"Dudes. Tell me: what should I buy first? A librabook? A new camera? A—" Prompto gasped out, "a chocobo?!" He felt close to fainting.

"Easy there, big spender," Gladio said in an amused tone. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Tsk. What a hypocrite. "You're one to talk…with that new flashy car of yours."

Gladio's mouth twitched, suddenly a sheepish look on his face. "You got me there. Well, guess my job is tough enough. Gotta allow myself a treat once in a while."

Right. These two had been receiving Crownsguard salaries for a long time already, much longer than him. Were they millionaires yet? Growing more and more curious, Prompto turned to Ignis. "How 'bout you, Ignis? How do you make use of all that money?"

"Oh, I do know how to indulge in pleasant endeavors from time to time."

"Yeah, when this guy does decide to go on vacation every once in an Astral's lifetime, he's off to Altissia, staying at the fanciest room in the Leville, eats out at the fanciest restaurants with fancy dining and fancy wine, and comes back with the fanciest clothes." Gladio's grin was evil.

"Let's not forget the diplomatic duties I have to uphold there," Ignis retorted, as if trying to save face.

"Sure _,_ Iggy," Gladio and Prompto said almost in unison.

Ignis let out a weary sigh. "It _is_ nice to be free of my obligations once in a while," he admitted.

"I can imagine, dude. Must be real stressful for you. Do you ever have time for yourself with all those council meetings going on? I never see you relax or somethin'."

"It's not that bad," Ignis said dismissively.

So…" A question was roaming in his head. "The salary… it will increase more, you think?"

Ignis's reply was vague, but the message still couldn't be any clearer to Prompto. "If you continue the service to the Crown, money will never prove an issue."

"Wow." Prompto needed a moment to absorb the information. "I still can't believe it. I'm gonna be rollin' in so much cronas!"

"See it now? You lucked out, kid. Enjoy the nice boost in pay while it feels fresh." Gladio gave him a thumbs-up.

Prompto made plans. "When we're back from Altissia, I'll get myself a bigger place, and a car, and I gotta repay my parents for all they've done for me. I'll give _lots_ of it to them, yeah. And…wow."

"Do that. I was planning to look for a place for myself, too. Iris won't like it, though."

Ignis cleared his throat, breaking their reveries. "Though your plans for the future are quite intriguing, I do suggest we keep money-related conversations to a minimum inside of the Citadel. You never know who might be listening. And besides…" He looked up, giving them a stern look. "There is more to it than just money. Let's not forget that."

Of course, he wouldn't. Noct was first. Always would be.

Gladio added his own thoughts on that. "Don't take it the wrong way. Duty always comes first, money only second. You know me. I take pride in my duty."

 _Duty_. Prompto didn't like that word. Why was everything Gladio talked about always revolving around duty? _What about being friends with Noct?_ he wanted to ask. But he knew Gladio good enough by now to get that, to him, duty was all that combined. His duty to his future king, brother, and friend. At least that was what Prompto wanted to believe.

Gladio then gave Prompto a clap on his shoulder, and said, "Don't mention the money stuff to Noct, though. The brat hates to be reminded that he's our job. And sometimes, a handful of a job at that." He rolled his eyes. "He won't get that this is still our duty, our obligation to the Crown. That we sacrifice our time, our safety, our everything for him. He's gotta grow up and—"

Prompto did try to listen, but for a second, he was distracted by a noise coming from the direction of the door. Huh? Nothing was there, though.

Did he only imagine it?

When he directed his attention back to their conversation, Gladio already seemed to be done with his speech, but...

"Gladio! Enough!" Ignis's voice was sharp and clear. What the—? Why was Ignis so mad? Gladio's words _had_ been pretty harsh, but what else had he said that Prompto didn't hear to make Ignis react like that?

"What? I'm only stating facts."

"You don't mean it, do you?"

A moment of silence, then, "Sorry." Gladio's eyes softened, taking on an apologetic expression. "You know me, it's just my anger talkin'."

Wow. For Gladio to apologize, whatever he had said really must've been bad.

Gladio ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "'m just pissed off that he makes this job so difficult sometimes. Couldn't he've sent a message saying he's not coming today at least?"

"I do understand, but don't ever say that again if you don't actually mean it," Ignis said. Then he turned to Prompto. "Though I disagree with _some_ of what Gladio said, he's right about this: Noct might take it the wrong way, so let's keep the salary rise a secret from him, alright?"

Prompto was about to reply with a dutiful 'yessir!' when they were interrupted by loud voices coming from the corridors outside. The door opened, and a group of Crownsguard cadets came filing into the training hall. They were chatting in an animated manner, clearly not realizing they weren't alone, before they looked up and noticed Prompto and the others standing there.

Whatever conversation they had before, died immediately.

"Oh!" one of them managed to choke out. "W-we didn't know someone was here. We'll leave at once."

Gladio pinned them down with a glare that would put a behemoth to shame. "We're scheduled for this room this time of the day every day. You weren't briefed on that or what?"

Prompto never was as happy as then that he was friends with Gladio, and not on the receiving end of his anger. The poor cadets cowered under his fiery gaze.

"I…we're so sorry. We just thought…" another cadet said hesitantly, "we thought you weren't here anymore since we saw His Highness leaving."

"What?" Prompto heard the others echoing his question.

"You saw him? Where?" asked Ignis.

"Just a minute earlier, down the hallway, entering the elevator."

What? But why? It didn't make sense. Why would Noct…

"Thank you. You may use this room in a few minutes," Ignis said in his professional tone, as if he wasn't fazed by what they just heard. "But please leave us for a moment," he added.

The cadets left, clearly in a hurry to get as far away from Gladio as possible.

Prompto stood there, dumbfounded. Gladio didn't look better. Ignis was fumbling with his phone, probably trying to reach Noct again.

Just what the hell was going on? "You guys think everything's alright with Noct?" he asked. He started to get concerned. Why would his friend not come over to their training session when he'd been so close by?

A strangled noise left Ignis's throat. "He's still not answering his phone. I'm worried. This isn't like him at all. Something must've happened or else he would've notified us—"

"Let's cool down for a sec. At least we know he's safe because these dickheads of cadets just saw him earlier." Gladio's voice vibrated with frustration. Whether that frustration was directed at Noct or at the cadets, Prompto didn't know.

"But what do we do now? Should we look for him?" Prompto asked. Even if the others told him not to, he'd still go looking for Noct.

"It seems to be the most reasonable idea," Ignis replied, to Prompto's relief. Ignis was already packing up his bag, ready to leave. He'd probably decided to look for Noct the moment the cadets mentioned him. Always the loyal friend and Chamberlain.

Gladio sighed, but then nodded along. "If this is him just bein' a royal brat and makin' us worried without reason, I'm gonna be the first Shield to kill my liege, I swear."

Prompto couldn't help but let out a little laugh at that. He hoped it was just Noct being a brat. That was better than any kind of alternative he could come up with. His buddy never was one to share his pain with others, but it had to be something bad if he left without a word.

Just what was going on with Noct?

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 **A/N:** Thanks for reading!

Shout out to Kitsune_138 for beta reading, and fayth and QuoteMyFoot for their help with the revision!


	2. Chapter 2

**Revised version as of March 3, 2019**

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Heart thundering in his ears, Noctis closed his apartment door behind him.

For a moment, he just stood in the corridor. He breathed deeply through his nose, eyes closed, and tried not to think of what he had heard today.

It was a losing battle.

Medea's and Shrieky's gossip had been offending and hurtful, but he could live with it. Gossip was gossip. It wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last, either, that people talked about him like that. Yes, he could live with that.

Once they had left the gardens at last, Noctis immediately hurried over to the training hall. He'd been almost an hour late by then—were their damned lunch breaks always this long?—and in the perfect mood to let off some steam. But then…

" _It_ is _nice to be free of my obligations once in a while."_

" _I'm gonna be rollin' in so much cronas!"_

" _Gotta babysit His Highness full-time now, so we got to get somethin' in return, right?"_

Noctis shook his head, trying to get the words out of his mind. He didn't want to think about this right now.

He slipped out of his sneakers and entered the living area. There he was faced with the sight of the boxes he'd packed only some hours ago. Three cardboard boxes sat in the corner of the room, already filled with books and council reports. Next to them, yet more boxes waited to be folded and filled. He took one, sat himself down on the floor and started folding. He took his time, not feeling the need to hurry.

And well, his hands were kind of trembling. Just slightly.

He folded the box, slowly and meticulously, just how Ignis would instruct him to do it.

 _Ignis,_ who, now that he thought about it, had never admitted to enjoying his time off in Noctis's presence before. Today had been the first time ever to hear him say it.

But why was he even surprised? Heck, it was _normal_. Ignis was _human_. Everyone needed a vacation, and especially a workaholic like Ignis. And usually, Noctis would be happy to hear it. Should be happy about this. Happy for Ignis that there was something else in his life other than Noctis.

Just… how come Ignis had never mentioned it to Noctis before? Not even once? When he thought about it now, occasions when Ignis talked about himself and his life outside of his duties were rare. Was this something he didn't want to share with Noctis? But wouldn't friends share stuff like this with each other?

" _I heard the Scientia boy cooks and cleans for him. He even washes his dirty laundry—like a maid!"_

" _Who could be friends with someone they have to clean up after?"_

Maybe, they weren't wrong about that. Did Ignis really see himself as his frien—

The moment the traitorous thought came, he chased it away. This was ridiculous. _He_ was ridiculous. What was he even doing, doubting his oldest friend?

Yes, Ignis was his friend. Period.

He directed his attention back to the now folded box. What should he pack? His comic books, maybe? Or his games? He had held off with packing his games this morning, not yet sure whether he and Prompto still needed them, as they'd probably get together once or twice before his move-out.

Prompto…

Once again, the doubts came before Noctis could stop himself.

" _He's a smart boy. He knows how to get what he wants."_

" _Right! I'd volunteer myself to be friends with the Prince, too, and secure myself a bright future if I were him."_

For a few moments too long, he wondered whether Prompto would ever want to hang out with him again now that Noctis was his _job_ , now that he had a high income and could buy all the games he wanted for himself. He didn't need Noctis anymore. If it wasn't for the job, would he still want to spend time with him?

And then he groaned at the stupidity of his thoughts. Prompto wasn't like that. Prompto was just Prompto. He was stupidly innocent, getting excited about everything that came with having royalty as a friend, whether that was a personal bodyguard, a big apartment or being, well, rich. Of course Prompto would get a bit carried away over so much money. And usually, Noctis would be happy for his friend that he didn't need to worry about anything money-related from now on.

Everything was normal. Everything was _fine_. He and Prompto _would_ meet up one of these days and his best friend would be sad if all the games were packed away then.

Not the games, then. He should pack the comics first.

He stood, grabbed a stack of comics lying around on his coffee table and put them inside the box. He continued like this, grabbing comics from his bookshelves and from where they were strewn around in his bedroom. He continued until the box was filled to the brim. He closed it, heaved it up to carry it over to the other packed boxes and…

The bottom of the box gave out and all the comics dropped out. The pile hit his feet and if Noctis said it didn't hurt he would be lying. "Damn it," he cursed. Frustration grew in him and he wanted to hit something. Hard.

If Gladio were here, he'd admonish him for losing his cool, though. He'd admonish him for not paying attention while packing, for packing too many books. He'd make a joke about princes who didn't know how to do anything by themselves, he would—

Just the thought of Gladio made him wince.

Gladio and his words today were the last things he wanted to remember. What Gladio had said, what he'd said about Noctis…

" _He won't get that this is still our duty, our obligation to the Crown. That we sacrifice our time, our safety, our everything for him. He's gotta grow up and—"_

No. He wouldn't think about what Gladio had said, and especially not about what he'd said _after_ that. Because no, that wasn't how Gladio had meant it. He hadn't meant it like that. It wasn't even the first time for his Shield to say something insulting when he was annoyed with him. Noctis was used to it and it had never bothered him because that was just how Gladio was like with his friends. He hadn't meant it for real…right?

" _And then there's the young Amicitia. I heard he doesn't have much respect for the Crown Prince. But if he makes that much money, I guess it doesn't matter."_

" _Right. The Amicitias talk about honor and duty all day, but when it comes down to it, they are as much after the money as any other regular Crown Citizen."_

His mind was fogging up with ugly doubt.

Maybe, they were right after all. Maybe, Gladio had meant what he said. And maybe, Ignis and Prompto had agreed with him? Noctis hadn't stayed long enough to confirm. Now he started to regret that he'd left the moment Gladio seemed to be done with his damn speech. At that moment, he didn't want to hear any more, but now he wondered how the conversation had continued.

Were they still talking about him, perhaps? Were they complaining about how much of a hassle he was to look after? How he wasn't trying good enough, how he wasn't keeping up with everything? With training, council meetings, his lessons, charity events, press conferences? If they did, he couldn't even fault them. He knew he was far from being a picture-perfect prince.

But Noctis also knew his friends. They didn't think like that about him. It was just how they were. Ever honest Gladio. Ever excited Prompto. Ever modest Ignis. It was understandable, it was _normal_ that Gladio was annoyed with him for being late, that Prompto would get excited about earning so much money, and that Ignis needed time off sometimes but wouldn't admit to it in front of him. On a logical level, he knew that it didn't mean anything. They were his friends. "Yes," he said out loud and nodded fiercely, to somehow convince himself of the truth of it.

But the memories wouldn't leave him alone. The words that Gladio had said, those horrible last words he'd heard, the ones that had made him retreat back down the hall _—_ " _He's gotta grow up and—_

— _and become someone worthy of his title already. Until he gets his act together, this kingdom is better off with_ anyone _else but him_ _as the next in line. That kid's not worth our time and effort."_

No, no, nonono. Noctis scrunched his eyes shut. Just remembering Gladio's words made him sick to his stomach, a cold weight dropping in his gut.

But then, that weight transformed into something much more easy to deal with—red, hot anger.

Before he knew it, he kicked the damned torn box that was lying uselessly amongst the comic books to his feet; it was the best and nearest target. And for good measure, he also kicked the pile of comics.

It wasn't enough. He kicked again, hard.

And again. And because it still wasn't enough, he grabbed one of the comics that were strewn across the floor and threw it at the wall.

And another one.

The next one missed his TV by inches.

He was acting like a child and his living room was a mess, but he didn't care. He grabbed for the already packed and stacked boxes with the council reports and books inside and did the same to them as he did to the comics.

"Fuck it," he gasped out as he tore at the _damned_ council reports without even knowing who he was angry with. Was it his friends for having talked behind his back? Was it Shrieky for being obnoxious? Medea for being no different than all the others? Their gossip for having planted these doubts in his head?

No. It was probably himself.

Deep down, he knew what was wrong. It wasn't his friends. It wasn't the Citadel staff. It was him. Because he was their obligation, their job. He didn't want to be the obligation of anyone, he hated that _everything_ involving himself meant work for others. But it lay in the nature of every relationship he ever had in his life. There was a natural distance between him and everyone else because of his standing.

He couldn't change that, but he wanted it to be different with his friends at least. But even Ignis and Gladio were his retainers before they were his friends. It was only through their duty that they became friends with him in the first place. That was how it was with everyone.

Except with Prompto. Prompto had been different. They were friends by choice without any royal obligations involved. But he had destroyed that by making him his Crownsguard, and now he was Prompto's duty as much as he was Ignis's and Gladio's.

Duty, job, obligation. He hated those words.

And even more than that, he hated that he couldn't help doubting their friendship now after all these years. Only because of some stupid conversations he involuntarily eavesdropped on.

He slumped against the floor, not minding the comics beneath him digging into his back, and just lay there for a moment.

"Ten thousand cronas, huh. Congrats, guys," he called out into the room. A strangled laugh left him. He'd totally lost it, hadn't he? But he wouldn't _cry_ , like some kid. Not that there was any reason to, anyway. He wasn't sad or disappointed or whatever—

The shrill noise of the doorbell jerked Noctis out of his way too depressing train of thoughts. Who the hell would come now of all times?

"Hey, buddy?!" came Prompto's voice from outside the front door.

 _Shit._ He froze.

"Noooct? You in there?"

What now? He couldn't just ignore him.

"C'mooon, we know you're there!"

 _We?_ Just great.

He slowly dragged himself to the door and opened it to the barest minimum, not wanting them to see the pathetic state of his living room. Nor his own state.

The moment he answered the door, the sight of his friends greeted him with Prompto in the front and one of his pitiable chocobo chick looks plastered on his face.

"What is it?" he asked cautiously.

"What kinda question is that?" said Gladio, as he shoved himself in front of Prompto, the annoyance in his voice unmistakable. "You didn't come. You didn't answer your phone. So your Crownsguard had to come looking for ya."

"Is something wrong, Noct?" came Ignis's voice from behind Gladio. Gladio pretty much covered the other two now. "Why not let us in and—"

But Noctis didn't feel like dealing with this now, dealing with _them_ now. "Sorry, but I'm tired. Can we talk later?"

" _Sorry_ , but _I_ don't think so," was Gladio's answer. "You gotta give us an explanation first."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Just…didn't feel like it today. So, I stayed home. That's it." Of course, he was lying. But it wasn't as if anyone had seen him today and could call him out on his lie. He'd been pretty much invisible to the people around him, hearing in on their conversations while no one knew he was there.

"What? But weren't you at the Citadel earlier? A Crownsguard saw you, buddy!"

Wait, what? Someone saw him? Crap. "Uh—right? I…forgot something important and headed back, actually."

Gladio looked like he didn't believe any of it. "What the hell's wrong? Spit it out already. You lying to get out of training or what?"

"Has something happened? You can tell us, Noct." Ignis squeezed himself next to Gladio.

"Yeah, what he said," Prompto added from somewhere behind them.

"No, nothing. I told you. I forgot something. And was tired anyway. So, I returned home." Why couldn't they just leave?

"You fucking serious?" said Gladio. "Can't you send us a message at least when you're too lazy for training? _We_ could've made better use of _our_ time, too."

"Gladio, mind your mouth," Ignis warned before he directed his focus back to Noctis. "But he _is_ right in a way. You could've notified us so that we'd be in the know about what kept you away."

"Yeah, we were worried, man!"

Noctis felt horrible. They were right, he should've texted at least and not inconvenienced them even more. "Sorry, I guess," was all he got out, unable to make eye contact.

"That's all?" asked Gladio, voice underlined with his anger.

What else was he supposed to tell them? The truth? _I heard you earlier. All of it. What do you say now?_ No way was he going to say that, though, because he knew how that would end. Making them feel guilty over a minor thing like this wasn't worth it. _If they'd even feel guilty_ , his inner voice told him.

So, he went with the easier and brattier way to handle the situation. "I said sorry, didn't I? What more do you want? Can you—can't you just leave now? Or should I make it an order?" It came out harsher than he intended, but he didn't have the energy to care.

"Oh, c'mon, Noct, you think that makes us leave?" came Prompto's reaction to Noctis's sad attempt at sounding authoritative.

Gladio, though, glowered at him and said, "Have it your way, Highness." He turned his back to Noctis and left, choosing the stairs over the elevator.

That left him alone with Ignis and Prompto. Ignis looked at him as if he was trying to read his thoughts. Prompto looked torn as if he didn't know whether to say any more or not. Just seeing them like this made him feel bad for making life hard for his friends. Still, he only managed to stand there, unable to make things better.

"Uh, well—" Prompto started. "How 'bout you catch some Z's today so that you'll be ready to kick ass at tomorrow's training?" His best friend obviously tried to lift the mood.

"Yeah, sure," was his meager reply. He was the worst. Prompto looked like he wanted to disappear.

Ignis made his own attempt at cheering Noctis up. "These past couple weeks of preparation for Altissia have indeed been quite strenuous. A good night's rest will do wonders."

"Yeah, sorry, guys. I'm, uh…" He didn't know what else to say anymore. If only he could be better…

"Don't worry about it. If you do want to talk you know how to reach me—us. Rest well, Noct." Ignis offered him a kind smile and prepared for his leave, summoning the elevator.

"Yeah, man. Sleep well I guess?" Prompto said, waving at him before he followed behind Ignis.

Noctis shut the door before they even reached the elevator. All by himself again, he stood with his back to the door. This couldn't have gone any worse.

Trying not to dwell on it any longer, he headed to the bedroom. He plopped down on the bed, pulled the comforter over his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

 _Later. I'll deal with this later. Tomorrow._ Tomorrow, everything would be back to normal again. He'd forget about what happened today, join the training as usual, and they'd be just _fine_.

Because they were friends.

* * *

Prompto licked his fingers clean, one after another, the lingering flavor of the Royal Crown Chips as addictive as ever. _Every good thing comes to an end_ , he thought forlornly as he assessed the pathetic amount of chips left in the bag.

His inner glutton told him to empty the rest of the bag all on his own, but his conscience made him eye his best friend sitting on the other end of the couch.

In the end, friendship won over appetite. "You want some more?" he asked. "Last chance, bud!"

Noct didn't even look up from his phone. "No, 's fine," he answered, voice dull and dismissive. And that seemed to be all he had to say.

"Okay…" Prompto cringed inwardly. This was how all their interactions had been going for the last couple of days and he hated it.

Something was wrong with Noct. He was quiet, more so than usual, and _when_ he talked it seemed forced and half-hearted. It wasn't that his friend was particularly mean or nasty to him—no way, this was still _Noct_ —but he went out of his way to shut everyone out and while it had Prompto worried, the concern also had started to morph into something close to frustration. Because how was he supposed to treat him without knowing just _what the hell_ was wrong?

Of course, he could pinpoint the cause of this change in behavior to a very specific moment: the training session three days ago when Noct didn't appear and they came looking for him at his apartment. Since then, things between them had been awkward. Noct came to training, they even hung out like they did right now, playing King's Knight and waiting for Gladio and Ignis to join them later. But throughout all this, his best friend was tense and cold, especially towards _him_.

He wondered whether Noct was starting to regret having him come along to Altissia. Did he finally realize that Prompto was good for nothing? That he'd only drag them down? Or was that just his imagination running wild?

Letting out a weary sigh, he took another glimpse at his best friend who performed his new habit of ignoring Prompto's presence. He didn't get it. _Why_ did Noct even agree to hang out when he'd avoid any form of interaction like the scourge?

"You want me to leave?" he blurted out before he could regret it.

Noct's head whipped around as fast as Prompto imagined a cactuar to move from one point to another. Under different circumstances, he would've found it comical. "What?" Noct said, his face showing more emotion than it had in the last few days, eyes glimmering with something, though Prompto had trouble depicting what that something was. Shock? Rage? Disgust?

Already regretting his words because he didn't know how to follow up, Prompto stuttered out the first smart thing he could come up with. Which wasn't very smart. "Uh, I just thought—sorry, dunno what I was thinkin'…"

Again, he couldn't make out what the expression on Noct's face said, only that he didn't like it. "It's fine. I get it," Noct said before facing away again.

'I get it?' What was _that_ supposed to mean now? All kinds of responses were swirling in Prompto's head, waiting to be said out loud. Before he could say anything, though, Noct stood.

"Oh, right—we're out of chips, huh. Gonna go to the grocery store real quick and bring some beer, too," he said. It sounded feigned and like the easiest excuse to get away from Prompto, especially because Noct hadn't shown any interest in the chips before and knew very well that Gladio planned to bring a six-pack.

"I'll tag along—"

"Ignis and Gladio should be here any moment. Stay and wait for them, 'kay?"

"Fine…" Prompto felt like the biggest failure for not calling his friend out on his excuse and just letting him go.

Noct left, the front door closing behind him much louder than was comfortable to Prompto's ears.

Nearly empty chip bag in his hands and thoughts running through his head, he waited for what couldn't have been more than two minutes before he heard the sound of the front door opening.

At first, Prompto thought Noct had changed his mind and came back to talk. He quickly made his way to the entrance area. What greeted him, though, were Gladio and Ignis. Right. Ignis had a key card to Noct's place.

"Good evening, Prompto," greeted Ignis.

"Heya."

"Hey. Where's Noct?" Gladio asked, looking around.

"Uh, he went down to the grocery store to pick up some stuff, y'know."

Both Gladio and Ignis gave him an incredulous look. Good to know he wasn't the only one who thought it was veeery untypical of Noct to go grocery shopping on a whim.

"Still avoidin' us instead of just sayin' what's his damn problem, huh?" said Gladio.

"Gladiolus, would you stop that," came Ignis's stern warning.

Prompto sighed. _This_ had been their routine for the past several days. Noct acting apathetic or making himself scarce altogether, Gladio using every opportunity to show his dissatisfaction at Noct's admittedly weird behavior, and Ignis reprimanding Gladio. And Prompto…he just wanted everything to be normal again.

"What? I don't know what's his problem, but he's gotta pull his head outta his ass and get over it," said Gladio, as he strode in and deposited the promised six-pack of beer on the kitchen counter before thinking better of it and putting two handfuls of cans in the fridge. He looked around again, his gaze landing on the corner of the living area. "And look at that. He hasn't even started packing, huh?" he added.

A set of unfolded cardboard boxes was innocently leaning against the wall, looking as if they hadn't been touched even once.

"Cut him some slack, big guy. There's still time until the move-out." Prompto felt as if it was his responsibility to defend Noct when he wasn't here to do so himself. That's what best friends were there for, right?

"Right, three days," Gladio deadpanned.

"Right. Three days," Prompto quipped. Three full days should be plenty…right?

Ignis clearing his throat interrupted their little battle of wills. "How about a change of subject?" the Chamberlain asked. "Wasn't there something you wanted to pick up for Iris, Gladio?"

"Oh, right. Forgot all 'bout it."

"Huh?" Prompto felt left out.

"Noct promised to lend Iris that Morub the Malboro comic edition featuring Moguli the Moogle the other day," Gladio explained, then asked, "Where does he keep his comics?"

"Uuuh—" Prompto looked around. It was only then that he noticed that the living room was devoid of comics. Usually, they'd be scattered around on the coffee table and the couch, and some were kept in the bookshelves. Now that Prompto looked, the shelves were close to empty. Had Noct taken all of them to his room? "If they aren't in here, I guess they're in his room!"

"Perhaps we should wait until his return. He'll know where to look, and," Ignis said, and paused to give Gladio an admonishing look, "not to mention it's not proper to go through other people's private belongings."

"Nah, I'll look by myself. Will be quicker this way," said Gladio, already barging into Noct's bedroom.

Ignis sighed, probably on Noct's behalf. Not even Ignis entered Noct's bedroom these days, as the prince was able to pick up after himself much better now compared to some years ago.

"Guys, you gotta see this," came Gladio's voice from the bedroom.

What now? Somehow already dreading what was expecting him there, Prompto joined Gladio. " _What the_ ," was all that managed to escape his mouth once he saw the state of the room.

"What's with all those—" asked Gladio, dumbfounded. There, beside the prince's bed, was an enormous, messy pile of comics, books, and folders. And among them were… "Are these the cardboard boxes?" Gladio echoed Prompto's thoughts.

Ignis kept silent as if deep in thought.

Even for Noct's standards of tidiness, this was too much. And now that Prompto had overcome the first shock, he saw that the boxes and some comics and folders were torn at places. Remnants of a fit of rage, that's what it was.

They stood there, taken aback by what they saw.

Ignis's voice disturbed the silence. "This might be a good moment to address a topic I thought was best to be left alone at first, but…"

"What is it, Iggy?" asked Gladio.

"Well," said Ignis, still a hint of hesitation in his voice, "I fear that Noct might have overheard our conversation three days ago in the training hall."

"What?" burst out Prompto. Wait, no, that couldn't be, no way was that possible. Or was it—

Shit. It was.

Prompto finally got it. These past days, Noct hadn't merely been grumpy for no reason whatsoever. Noct had heard them. All the ramblings about money and obligation and royal brats. He'd heard them, three days ago, in the training room. _Of course_. A mixture of horror and embarrassment climbed up his spine. Now he recalled how he'd heard something strange at the door at that time. It had been Noct.

 _And he probably took it all the wrong way_ , Prompto thought, the horror and embarrassment now settling like a stone in his stomach. But for some reason, Noct hadn't confronted them about it. Why?

Ignis's next words pulled him out of his thoughts. "It was a mere suspicion. I noticed a sound at the entrance of the training hall not long before the cadets came in. It must've been Noct. It would make sense, considering the cadets saw him close by."

"Wait, you heard that, too?" Prompto asked. "I never made the connection 'til now." He felt so stupid.

"It would certainly explain Noct's behavior the last couple of days."

"Damn." Gladio groaned, giving the books and comics to his feet a good kick, adding little to their already pitiful state. "Why was I the only one who didn't hear that?"

"'Cause you were busy talking shit about Noct." Prompto had wanted to say it for days. Now he finally had the opportunity.

A hollow laugh left Gladio's lips. "Can't fault you for sayin' that." He went quiet, and as if an epiphany hit him he quickly looked up again, "Damn, guys, you think he heard _that_ stuff?"

"Which one? You said a lot." If he sounded accusing he didn't care.

"You know which one. Do I have to repeat it?"

The thing was, Prompto hadn't heard it at that time. He had been too distracted listening for that noise he heard at the door—the noise that had been Noct. But judging from Iggy's reaction then and the look of terror in Gladio's eyes now, it must've been bad. Real bad.

He wanted to ask what it was he said, but it felt like rubbing salt into the wound when it was obvious how Gladio regretted it. Or did he?

"No, Gladio, it's fine," Ignis said. "As long as you know. And it's not _us_ you need to explain yourself to. It's _Noct_ you, no, _we_ have to ask for forgiveness."

"Right. Damn," the Shield said, as he stomped out towards the kitchenette. Ignis followed behind, and so did Prompto. Gladio took one of the beer cans out of the fridge and popped it open.

Prompto watched him drinking for a moment, then, fumbling with his shirt, said hesitantly, "What you—we—said, I think it hurt him for real, big guy..."

"But look, that's the problem," replied Gladio. "I don't regret anythin' I said except that one thing where I went too far. That one was too much. But," he paused for a second, taking a few gulps of beer. "I can't and won't apologize for the other stuff 'cause I was statin' the damn truth."

At that moment, Prompto wanted to strangle Gladio, but he knew that wouldn't go over well.

Ignis butted in, "You don't understand, Gladio. This isn't only about what is true or not. We should've been upfront with Noct about these matters instead of talking about them behind his back. We've deliberately avoided any talk about our salaries for years, and you know it." He gave Gladio a meaningful look. "And now I fear he might've misunderstood our intentions." Then he turned towards Prompto. "Prompto, _you_ are not at fault. We asked you to keep quiet, so please don't take it to heart."

"Guess we'll have to agree to disagree here, Iggy," said Gladio. "This is a two-way street. _He_ could've mentioned it, too, but he never did."

A long sigh left Ignis's lips. "I'm aware of that, but you know how he is."

"I tell ya, you're too soft on the brat."

"Maybe, yet I disagree," said Ignis, not backing down. "Hear me out, Gladio. I may be _soft_ , but only because I can see how hard he's been working on himself. You should know, as well. _You_ 've been putting all your energy into training him for years, and you full well know of his prowess on the battlefield." Ignis took only a second to breathe before he continued, "And that's not all. He's been seeing to all his other obligations without fault and always on his best behavior. But he cannot attend every meeting, he cannot have perfect knowledge of everything. And that's where we come in, to fill in the gaps."

Wow. Prompto was in awe at Ignis's words. He put so well into words what Prompto hadn't been able to get out.

Gladio, for once, was quiet, a thoughtful frown on his face.

For a minute, silence reigned.

There was one thing Prompto was still hung up on, though...

"So, you really think he heard everything?" he blurted out. He just felt so ashamed. Back then in the training hall, the excitement of so much money landing in his bank account had gotten the better of him. He must've sounded like the biggest money-grubbing jerk alive.

"There's no way of knowing for certain until we ask Noct himself," said Ignis.

"Ask me what?" came— _shit_ —no one's but Noct's voice from the hallway, accompanied by the sound of the door opening to his key card.

The stone of horror and embarrassment that had settled deep into Prompto's stomach jumped up into his throat.

Noct looked at them, expression closed off and waiting for someone to answer his question. Prompto didn't want to be the one. He knew he'd screw up and only make things worse.

If anyone else noticed, no one mentioned that Noct's hands were empty, no bags of chips or bottles of beer anywhere to see.

"Fuck, Noct," Gladio was the first to speak. "You were there and heard that shit, right?"

Noct said nothing. It was all the confirmation they needed.

"Oh Noct. Why haven't you said something?" Ignis asked, voice thick with emotion. Prompto wanted to ask the same thing.

Noct kept silent. His shoulders looked stiff, his lips pressed tight together and he was avoiding eye contact with them. Was he angry? What they found in his room definitely suggested that he was damn pissed with them.

"Why," Noct finally said, "didn't _you guys_ say anything?"

"What?" asked Gladio.

"About your pay raise? Or anything, really?"

No, his buddy wasn't angry, Prompto could see it now. Noct's eyes were red-rimmed, and his voice had raised an octave higher, stressed at the edges. This wasn't anger. This was… Prompto choked on his breath. He felt horrible.

"We know now that it was a mistake to never breach the topic before. I… we didn't want to bring money talk into our friendship, but it backfired. My deepest apologies," Ignis said.

Prompto was about to give Noct an apology of his own, but Gladio beat him to it. "Listen, Noct. The shit I said—especially _that_ thing—fuck, that went too far. Sorry about that."

"It was what you really think though, wasn't it?" Noct asked, meeting Gladio's gaze head-on.

"Don't get me wrong. I still think you gotta grow up and take things more seriously. I won't coddle you 'cause that won't help ya," Gladio said, no hesitation in his voice, then added, "And you damn well have to accept that there's no changin' that we got to do a job here."

The prince visibly flinched at the last bit, tearing his gaze away. It seemed that one had hit a sore spot.

Everything started to come together now. Was this why Noct was so upset about all this? The job part?

"I get it. I get it, okay? I'm your job. And a fucking disappointment. I should be trying harder." Noct looked deflated, shoulders slumped and eyebrows drawing together. Prompto felt another surge of guilt wash over him the moment he saw that expression.

Noct continued, still facing Gladio, "I know you're disappointed, okay? You guys probably, too." He looked up at Ignis and Prompto. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but nothing else came.

No. This wasn't how Prompto wanted this to go. Why was Noct saying things like that? Why the hell should Prompto be disappointed in him? Prompto knew that if he didn't act now he'd regret it later, but he felt like there were no words to express what he wanted to say.

Noct himself must've noticed how his emotional state became obvious to them. He was blinking hard, suppressing his tears. "Dammit." He turned around.

"Oh Noct…" Ignis reached out, but Noct drew away from the contact.

Prompto wanted to reach out too, but would he be treated differently than Ignis? Most likely not. Why was it so hard to comfort people? It was probably no different for Ignis and Gladio; showing affection just wasn't what they—being dudes and all—usually did. Prompto hated himself.

The following seconds of silence crept by agonizingly slow. Until… "Do you still… even want to be my Crownsguard? And come with me to Altissia? If you don't, I won't force you. I'll talk with Dad."

Shit.

"C'mon, dude, what kinda question is that?" Prompto finally managed to say, voice wavering, horrified by Noct's question. No fucking way would he let his best friend believe he didn't want to join him.

"Gods, Noct, no…" Ignis added, speechless for once. He looked shell-shocked.

Gladio stepped forward, closer to Noct. "Hey, the little guy here said it. We'll come with ya. Period." Then he added, "And damn if you're no more of a disappointment than this loser of a Shield here." It was so obvious how he was trying to find the right words, but just making it sound awkward. "Look, Noct," he continued, "I was angry, but… I wasn't fair. These two here," he said, as he pointed at Prompto and Ignis, "made sure I got that."

Noct finally turned back to them, looking at them with wide eyes.

Ignis added, composed again, "Yes, we've all been doing a disastrous job of communicating like adults." He sighed. "That being said, it _is_ difficult sometimes, separating duty from friendship. Still, it's much simpler to me than you think it is. Even when I act out of duty it doesn't mean I'm any less of your friend at that moment." There was a slight pause. "You are and always will be a dear friend to me."

"Couldn't have phrased it any better," Gladio said, in a way that made Prompto believe him. "You get it now, kid?"

Noct nodded, though hesitantly. Prompto still just wanted to hug him.

Before he did that, though… "And don'tcha dare ask _me_ about duty and all that nonsense, bud. I don't even feel like a full Crownsguard, so don't expect me to be anythin' but a friend to you!"

With an unsteady hand, he reached out, giving Noct the overdue hug. This time, his friend didn't withdraw. He returned the hug immediately as if he'd been hoping for it after all. He sagged against Prompto, the tension finally leaving his body. Prompto gave him a heartfelt squeeze. Who cared if they were dudes?

"I'm sorry," Noct said. "I'm sorry for bein' an ass, guys, I'm—"

"Stop it," Prompto said.

Noct stopped.

"Why are _you_ sorry? We— _I'm_ sorry!"

"Indeed. Please let us make it up to you," said Ignis.

There was a moment of quiet before Gladio grunted and stepped forward. "C'mere," he said, collecting Noct and Prompto in a big bear hug.

"We're here for you, Noct." Ignis was the last to join them, enveloping them from behind.

Voice still croaky, Noct said, "Thanks, guys. Me…too. I'm here."

They stayed like this, just relishing the peaceful moment. Prompto was well aware that this was the closest the four of them had ever been. They _were_ friends and Prompto would make sure to remind Noct of it at every possible occasion from now on.

Then, without preamble, the prince laughed and said, "Ten thousand bucks, huh. Never thought it was this much."

"'s because you're worth so much," Prompto said. _Even more. Much, much more_ , he added in his mind.

"Worth a fortune," said Ignis.

"Definitely worth our time an' effort," added Gladio.

.

.

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! This was once the end of this fic, but next up is a little bonus epilogue. :)

Shout out to Kitsune_138 for beta reading, and fayth and QuoteMyFoot for helping me with the revision and epilogue!


	3. Chapter 3

**Epilogue**

* * *

It was a lazy afternoon. They had set camp at a haven close to the Fallgrove. Prompto sat at the shore of a pond not far away from the haven, his feet dangling in the water as he watched Noct fishing at the other side of the pond. It was a hot and humid day, and the cool water felt refreshing to his skin.

Gladio was right beside him, cross-legged and flipping through a Weapons Monthly issue. No period novel for a change.

Ignis was back at camp, preparing for dinner. It was some thirty or so yards away, but if Prompto listened attentively, he could hear the clanking of cooking wares in the distance.

Noctis seemed to be in the midst of reeling in a fish; his back was tense and nothing seemed to disturb his concentration.

There was something on Prompto's mind that bugged him, something he had wanted to ask Gladio for weeks.

He looked over at Gladio, studying him. He opened his mouth, ready to finally speak his mind, but in the end, he was too much of a coward to go through with it. He repeated this action a few more times.

Why was this so difficult?

"What is it?" Gladio asked at last, not looking up from the magazine.

Oops. Had he been too obvious? "N-nothing!" He laughed nervously, feeling his ears grow hot at being caught.

"Spill it already," Gladio demanded.

Right. He wanted to know, so he needed to ask. Before he could change his mind, he blurted it out. "What you said that day..."

"Hm?"

"Y'know, before we left the Crown City. Remember what happened? Between Noct and us?"

Gladio finally looked up, giving Prompto his full attention.

"What..." Prompto continued, his breath hitching with the effort to keep calm under Gladio's intense gaze, "what you said that day, in the training room."

"Oh." Gladio's posture had gone from relaxed to rigid.

Prompto felt horrible for bringing this up. It wasn't a pleasant memory for any of them and he knew that Ignis, and Gladio, too, had been trying in their own ways to reassure Noct of how much they cared for him as their friend these past weeks, even though Noct wasn't holding what happened against them.

Prompto would never forget that day. It had left a lasting impact on him, on _all_ of them. But… there also was the curiosity. What Gladio had said to Noct had upset his best friend _a lot_. Prompto had never seen him like that before. So he needed to know.

"Just wondering. What was it? I didn't hear it 'cause I was distracted by Noct at the door, y'know."

Gladio exhaled something between sigh and groan. "You do know I was talkin' bullshit, right? That's…what I do sometimes."

Great, now Prompto felt even worse. Damn him and his big mouth. "Whatever it was, I know you didn't mean it. Just, it hit Noct so hard, so…"

"…So, you're curious?"

Prompto gave it a thought. Sure, he was. But that wasn't all. He...

"Let me guess, you wanna give me another lecture. You mad I was talkin' like this 'bout my charge, right?"

"Friend," Prompto mumbled.

"Huh?"

"He's your friend, or not? 'Charge'? I don't like the sound of it." He grunted in frustration. "I don't get it. Why? Why do ya always need to talk to Noct like that?"

Silence came over them for a few moments. Prompto saw Gladio's line of vision land on Noct's form in the distance.

"Like you said," Gladio said after a while, "'cause he's my friend."

Now it was Prompto's turn to be confused. "What?"

"People talk shit all the time, 'specially about the Crown. I can shield him from physical danger, but I can't protect him from toxic words. Noct's gotta grow a thick skin or...he's gonna crack under it. As Shiel—" Gladio began to say, but quickly corrected himself, "as his _friend_ , I gotta help him become strong for that reason." He let out a deep sigh, then added, "But sometimes I go too far, I guess. It's on you guys to reign me in then, 'kay?"

There was something about how Gladio said it that made Prompto see him in a new light. Gladio, the toughest guy Prompto knew, had his own doubts and probably wasn't as strong as he always let on.

Prompto smiled.

He still didn't agree with Gladio's methods, and he still didn't know what exactly he had said about Noct that day, but it finally dawned on him.

It was at that moment that he came the closest to understanding what they were to Noct. What Gladio was. What he and Ignis were.

Since he'd started his training as Crownsguard, he'd been stressing himself out over getting stronger and competent, and all these things he imagined the Crownsguard of the future king to be like. Sure, he was Noct's Crownsguard, but it was more than that. He had sworn to protect Noct, but not only from physical dangers. Prompto wasn't his Shield, but he felt like something close to it.

Sometimes they would fail in keeping their promise. Sometimes they'd hurt each other. And sure, they still couldn't communicate like adults, and their opinions would clash a hundred times more in the future, _and_ sleeping in a tent with three other guys _sucked_.

But they were friends, they were brothers. And that wouldn't change. Ever.

Before he could say something, Gladio told him, "If you really need to know, I'll tell ya. Guess…'m just too ashamed."

But Prompto already had made up his mind. "No, 's fine. Forget about it."

"Heh." Gladio let out a breathy laugh.

Prompto joined in. Laughing felt liberating.

Over at the other side of the pond, Noct was in the midst of heaving up something huge. He turned around towards them and held up his catch proudly, giving them his biggest, and best grin.

.

.

.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for reading! This is now the official end of this story! I hope you enjoyed it, old and new readers alike. :)

I'm glad I came back to this fic and revised it. Now I think I've done all I could at my current level and even though this fic may not be perfect, I'm content (for now)!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Shout out to QuoteMyFoot and fayth for helping me with the epilogue!


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